Big D, sure why not give it to Pierce, he's on the worst team in the league and he's missed half the season so far. I'm surprised they haven't started the MVP chant at the Garden, oops I mean Fleet Center.

Nope, you got it right. It's The Garden again, albeit the TD Bank North Boston Garden. Close enough.

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm in your comment? I was clearly joking with the Pierce nomination (gee, ya think?). Though you've got to admit - the C's are a mediocre, at best, team with him on the floor. But they are far and away the worst team in the league with him on the bench.

MVP - Nash. No way does it go to Gilbert with his me first approach. He is not a team player and is a bigger distraction than Mark Cuban.Rookie - Brandon RoyCoach - D'Antoni (Second Half, watch out for Ron Rothstein for turning the Heat around)Improved - BoozerBreakthrough - Josh HowardDisappointment - Isiah was actually better than BrownStoryline - Fines and Suspensions, New (Old) Ball?

MVP - Kobe because he is the best overall player in the NBA and if you took him off that team they would be out of the playoffs (2. Nash, 3. Dirk)Rookie - Brandon Roy and nobody else (rookie class stinks)Coach - Jerry Sloan (with Phil Jackson, Mike D'Antoni, and Avery Johnson all in contention)Improved - Kevin Martin, because of 10 point improvement to his scoring averageBreakthrough - Gilbert Arenas, even though Dan's slurping has made me turn on him (Josh Howard a serious contender here)Disappointment - Lebron James lack of progression and passivity (even Wade called him out on it)Storyline - David Stern losing his mind (new ball/old ball fiasco, Melo getting 15 games for a slap-fest, Kobe being suspended one game for a hard play)

Obviously these will change but this is supposed to be if the season ended today ...

MVP? 1. Kobe 2. Nash 3. Dirk 4. Tmac 5. Arenas

Rookie? Oden or Durant ... sorry im just excited for that ROY battle next year ... this year id say Roy is the frontrunner with Garbajosa, Bargnani behind (but plenty of time for anyone to take this award)

Coach of the (Mid-)Year? Isiah, way exceeded expectations ... btw we need a true coach of the year criteria, is it the coach of the best team, the coach who exceeded expectations, what?

Biggest Disappointment(s)? LeBron cant shoot ft's ... AI and Melo not making Denver a top 4 team ... NOOKC Hornets injuries hold back their jump ...

Top Storyline(s)? East sucks, Knicks winning (sort of), Utah Jazz a pretty good team, is Deron Williams better than Chris Paul, is Agent Zero crazy or just really funny?, oh yeah, the biggest one ... and memphis, philly, and boston all tanking to fight for Oden and Durant!

The Suns losing games doesn't automatically prove Nash should be MVP. Everyone loses at some point. But hey, if we're making that argument then let's throw Kwame Brown, Paul Pierce, Nenad Kristic and Antawn Jamison in this MVP discussion. (seems a bit ridiculous doesn't it)?MVP-Kobe Bryant. Who's been more valuable to the league? He's must see tv because he's capable of making history on any night.Most Improved-Josh Smith. The Hawks are 20-30 which no one expected and his energy and highlights are a big reason why.Disappointment-New Jersey Nets. I don't even know what to say.Coach of the Year-Pat Riley, he gave himself an out just in case the Heat didn't recover from their tough start, now he'll come back and save the day. Genius.Rookie of the Year- The kid in Toronto, I can't spell his nameSurprise-The Rockets winning without Yao, although in fairness he's been injured so much they should be used to it.Storyline-Kobe getting MVP chants in Boston, hell must be nearing the freezing point!

Adding to what Daniel said in response to Big D, without Nash the Suns are 1-2 and would have lost to Portland had Travis Outlaw not missed a layup to end the 4th (Phoenix won in OT). After barely winning against a bad team, they then proceeded to lose to a bad team (Atlanta) and a good team but one they beat with Nash (Chicago) at home.

MVP - Nash or Dirk, can't complain either wayRoY - Brandon Roy might have missed too many games to deserve it now (so I'd go Bargnani), but assuming he keeps playing at this level I'd give it to him at the end of the season.Coach - eh, Sloan's done a good jobDisapointing - LeBron, he's too young to start being disinterested and lazy.Breakthrough - the Raptors are really starting to play great, team oriented basketball.

MVP-Nash, you could argue the two previous years, but not this yearCoach-MitchellRookie-Roy or Baragini, if that's how you spell itImproved-Boozer's stepping up, or SmithDisappointment-Nuggets after AI trade, David Stern, Celtics, Shaq, the list goes onStory-Stern is a lunatic, Celtics, RaptorsImproved-Howard

MVP? Dirk. Best player on the best team. Look for Wade/Kobe coming down the stretch (Nash won't win again).

Rookie? The Raptor fan in me wants to say Bargnani, but it is Brandon Roy. His numbers are substantially better than all other rookies (although he has missed time). Bargs will be a better pro though.

Coach of the (Mid-)Year? Not Sam Mitchell. The Raptors success can largely be attributed to Bosh's emergence, as well as, the pieces Colangelo brought in (plus holdovers Calderon and Mo P). Phil Jackson is the coach of the year. To have that team with that talent and injuries playing this well for this long is very impressive (ditto for van gundy, but anyone who makes the games that boring has no busienss winning).

Most Improved? Al Jefferson

Biggest Breakthrough(s)? Bosh

Biggest Disappointment(s)? The Kings. Basically the same roster that tore it up in the 2nd half and they suck. Ditto for the Clip.

Top Storyline(s)? The matchups in the Western conference playoffs. A potentially epic final 4 looming there (Mavs-Rockets, Spurs-Suns).

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.